PENTAGON — The Department of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2017 lower-than-expected budget submission follows closely with an overall Department of Defense drive to build higher end warfighting capabilities — but at a cost, according to budget documents released on Tuesday. Read More →

The name of the first in a class of new oilers planned for the U.S. Navy will be after Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a sitting member of the House of Representatives, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced on Wednesday. Read More →

The Navy has issued a request for proposal (RFP) directly to General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries for the third America-class big deck amphibious warship and six next-generation oilers (TAO(X)), the service told USNI News. Read More →

The Navy is looking to compete the detail design and construction work for the T-AO(X) class, meant to replace the fleet replenishment oilers, such as the USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187) above. US Navy Photo.

The Navy plans to open a limited competition between General Dynamics NASSCO and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding for work on the LHA-8 amphibious assault ship, the T-AO(X) fleet oiler replacement and the next generation LX(R) dock landing ship replacement – meant to introduce competition as well as more evenly distribute work in the shipbuilding industry, the service told USNI News. Read More →

The Navy preserved development of future combat power over the next five years in its Fiscal Year 2015 $148 billion budget submission to Congress released in briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday.

The procurement documents — released on Tuesday — emphasize weapon systems over the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) that will fit into future Navy constructs, like the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air—or NIFC-CA (pronounced: nif-kah) designed to prosecute high-end air wars in the 2020s as well as next generation surface ship weapons. Read More →

USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199). Monterey is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility on June 30, 2013. US Navy Photo

Naval Sea Systems Command has issued three contracts to shipyards for work toward the Navy’s next-generation fleet oiler (T-AO(X)).

General Dynamics NASSCO, Huntington Ingalls Industries and VT Halter Marine, “were each awarded firm-fixed price contracts at or below the not-to-exceed amount of $1.7 million as contained in the solicitation for Trade-Off Industry Studies,” according to a Wednesday release from NAVSEA. Read More →